Heater for heating a space

ABSTRACT

A heater having a cover with an exhaust port and border a intake port allowing air to enter the heater. The heated air is then dissipated through an exhaust port on the cover of the heater. The border intake and cover of the heater have a perpendicular relationship whereas the exhaust port and cover have a parallel relationship.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a heater for heating a space and morespecifically a heater having at least one border intake port.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heaters are common place in commercial buildings with such heatersproviding heated air in entrances for example. The majority of suchheaters have an intake and exhaust port positioned on the front surfaceof the heater. The positioning of both ports on the front surface of theheater results in an increase of noise emitted by the heater when inoperation.

There is therefore a need for a heater which does not emit as much noisewhen in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a heater for heating a space comprisingan enclosure for enclosing a fan to displace air within the heater and aheating element positioned within the enclosure to supply heat to thedisplaced air within the housing. The heater also has a cover enclosingthe fan and the heating element within the enclosure and at least oneborder intake port positioned in a perpendicular relationship to thecover, said intake port allowing for air to be in fluid communicationwith the fan. The heater also has an exhaust port positioned in aparallel relationship to the cover allowing for air heated by theheating element to exit the heater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described byreference to the following figures, in which identical referencenumerals in different figures indicate identical elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a heater according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heater with the cover displaced fromthe heater according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a heater with the cover removed from theheater in order to illustrate the border plate and fan according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the border plate displaced from thehousing according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view of the air flow being drawn into the heater through theborder intake ports and then expulsed through the exhaust port accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view of the air flow within the housing of a heateraccording to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the components present in a heateraccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

The Figures are not to scale and some features may be exaggerated orminimized to show details of particular elements while related elementsmay have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting but merely as a basis for the claims and as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with their derivatives, maybe used herein. It should be understood that these terms are notintended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments,“connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are indirect physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may beused to indicated that two or more elements are in either direct orindirect (with other intervening elements between them) physical orelectrical contact with each other, or that the two or more elementsco-operate or interact with each other (e.g. as in a cause and effectrelationship).

The present invention includes a heater for heating a space comprisingat least one border intake port and a frontal exhaust port.

With reference to FIG. 1 and according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, a heater 10 is shown. Heater 10 has a cover 20 and a housing30 enclosing a fan and a heating element both not shown. Exhaust port 40is positioned on cover 20 providing a frontal exhaust of heated air andcreating a parallel relationship between exhaust port 40 and cover 20.Border intake port 50 is positioned along the sides of heater 10 inorder to draw air into heater 10 for heating a space.

With reference to FIG. 2 and according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, heater 10 has cover 20 displaced from housing 30 allowing toillustrate fan 60 and two border intake ports 50 and 52 which in aperpendicular relationship with cover 20. Fan 60 will draw air intoborder intake ports 50 and 52 as well as into housing 30 for heating bythe heating element (not shown) and providing a fluid communication ofthe air to fan 60. In another embodiment, heater 10 could only have oneborder intake either 50 or 52 on either border of the heater.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 and according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the heater has a border plate 56 enclosing housing30. Border plate 56 has aperture 57 allowing air to be drawn in housing30 by fan 60. Once the air travels into housing 30, the air is heated byheating element 70. Fan 60 will also push air through exhaust 58 ofborder plate 56 and eventually through the exhaust port of the heater.

With reference to FIG. 5 and according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the air flow into and out of the heater is shown. Air isdrawn into border intake port 52 and shown through arrows 200. Anotherborder intake port can be positioned on the opposite side of borderintake 52 allowing the fan (not shown) to draw air into heater 10through two intake ports as shown by arrows 210. Once the air hastraveled through the heating element (not shown), the heated air isexhausted through exhaust port 40 positioned on cover 20 and in aperpendicular relationship in respect of border intake port 52 as shownby arrows 300.

With specific reference to FIG. 6 and according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the air travels into fan 60 which then redirects theair through heating element 70 which consist of two heating bars placedin parallel to one another. Once the air travels through heating element70, heated air is projected through border plate 56 and exhaust port 58which connects to the exhaust port of the heater positioned on the cover(not shown).

With specific reference to FIG. 7 and according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the components of a heater 10 are shown. A cover 20is installed on border plate 56 with cover plate 56 being installed onfan box 35 which encloses the fan and the heater. Fan box 35 ispositioned within housing 30 which housing 30 allows for the heater tobe installed on a wall for example. Under this embodiment, heater 10 hastwo enclosures consisting of fan box 35 and housing 30 which havedifferent functions. Fan box 35 encloses the fan and heating elementpresent in the heater and housing 30 encloses fan box 35. Housing 30 canalso enclose the motor of the fan while being separated from the fanwhich is housed in the fan box 35. A worker skilled in the relevant artwould be familiar with the use of two enclosures as shown in FIG. 7. Inanother embodiment, a heater could consist of a single enclosure such asfan box 35 with fan box 35 allowing to secure the heater to a walleliminating the need for another housing such as housing 30 shown in thedrawings. Under such an embodiment, the fan box would also need aseparate wiring enclosure within the fan box allowing to isolate theelectrical connections from the heating element and the fan. The fan boxor housing can be defined as both being an enclosure which is differentthan the wiring enclosure.

A worker skilled in the relevant art understanding this invention maynow conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations ofthe above all of which are intended to fall within the scope of theinvention as defined in the claims that follow.

We claim:
 1. A heater for heating a space comprising: a) an enclosurefor enclosing a fan to displace air within the heater; b) a heatingelement positioned within the enclosure to supply heat to the displacedair within the housing; c) a cover enclosing the fan and the heatingelement within the enclosure; d) at least one border intake portpositioned in a perpendicular relationship to the cover, said intakeport allowing for air to be in fluid communication with the fan; and e)an exhaust port positioned in a parallel relationship to the coverallowing for air heated by the heating element to exit the heater.